Remnants
by ashleyjordan
Summary: Preparing to cross the Aoigiri Mountain Range, Balsa and Tanda's plans are disrupted by the appearance of an assassin bent on destroying his abhorred nemesis in a way most cruel. A Yakue curse consumes the Kanbal woman with an uncontrollable feral desire that may tarnish the very one whom she cherishes most.


Guardian of the Sacred Spirit: **Remnants**

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own or claim to own Seirei no Moribito nor am I profiting from this work of fiction in any manner._

_**Summary: Preparing to cross the Aoigiri Mountain Range, Balsa and Tanda's plans are disrupted by the appearance of an assassin bent on destroying his abhorred nemesis in a way most cruel. A Yakue curse consumes the Kanbal woman with an uncontrollable feral desire that may tarnish the very one whom she cherishes most.**_

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><p>Charred embers crackled slowly while the moon waxed golden and bright overhead as two figures huddled close about a fireplace despite the muggy heat of late autumn. Thick air spun with the purr of cicadas. The jeweled insects hummed contentedly, buried deep into the fibers of a juniper thicket which surrounded an abandoned watermill that the pair had fashioned into a meager refuge. The implementation was a success; the guise of a single mother tending to the needs of her fragile son a typical site due to the casualties of warfare during the late Edo period.<p>

Avoidance of the imperial mercenary squadron seeking the crown prince was of utmost importance. Thus, Chagum had been sent to stay with the famed supply-runner Tōya and his orphaned colleague Saya until Tanda and the spear-wielder could ready their packs. Crossing the Aoigiri Mountains would prove to be a difficult task. As the body-guard made last minute preparations, she contemplated the severity of hiking through precarious foothills and chasms with a wearied child in tow. Shaking her head, the brawny woman solidified her resolve. No, the prince would make the trek. He must. No other option presented itself against the oppressive hunters of the New Yogo Empire who were hot on their trail in pursuit.

Purple hues danced across auburn irises as Balsa sighed, the warrior gazing unseeingly into dying flames which licked the basin of a large iron pot. Meanwhile, the herbalist casually stirred a vat of buckwheat porridge; attention torn from the mixture he was tending once he noticed his companion's chagrin.

"What's troubling you?" Tone light and eyes warm, Tanda leaned forward knowingly, "Normally you don't look so glum." To this observation, a flicker of their nostalgic camaraderie eased her dour countenance,

"Ah, Tanda you know me so well." He chuckled in response, happily dicing a sprig of thyme on a plank of raised wood which currently served as the duo's bench,

"I ought to. We've known one another for nearly twenty years after all."

"Has it really been so long?" Balsa mused, occupying lambent thoughts onto her spear, hoisting the weapon from the earth to tighten its loosening hinges. The sage-apprentice merely nodded, sprinkling the crushed perennial into the bubbling concoction before tucking the herb back into his sash.

A cool breeze filtered through the valley, causing the long tail of the Kanbal woman's hair to banter in the wind and sweep across the slope of her pale neck. With a rush, a spell bewitched Tanda. His eyes immediately drooped down from their focus on his comrade to fix upon a set of bowls situated besides a leather pouch. All the medicinal properties of his assorted plants could not cure the herbalist from the disease prevailing the core of his being. Hushing his mind proved futile for the patient man was unable to eradicate the glimpse of even such a small portion of battle-scarred skin from memory. The heart beneath his composed chest pounded incessantly, having longed for her affection decades prior. After momentary stillness, he broke the mild solitude by commenting,

"You know, I've been thinking…it's been such a long time since you've stayed in one place. You ought to enjoy the respite; your spear can wait for morning." Balsa glanced up, spitting a thread away from her lips, having secured the metal tip to the handle as best she could without visiting a smithy,

"Although I have enjoyed this old mill, there's no longer time for rest. We have to keep moving. I want us to be gone before dawn's first light."

"Still," He muttered, brushing palms off against the kneecaps of his sage pants. Turning to glance sidelong at her for the first time since the glade beckoned his sensibilities, Tanda continued, "There's no need to not appreciate this night. Here, have a bowl." Nodding in gratitude, she accepted the hot meal from his hands. Yet a spark startled her the moment his touch lingered.

"Is something wrong?" The tenor of his voice stoked an unknown quivering in the pit of her stomach. Without warning, Balsa grew queasy,

"N-no. Nothing." The faint sensation of a thumb brushing against her weathered knuckles caused her to be taken aback. The dire need to escape simmered up through her abdomen as her pulse quickened upon the realization that his strong hand displayed an earnest sincerity matching a tone which seemed to pronounce her name with such reverence and intentionality,

"Balsa…I-" Yet something about the light shining in his eyes stunned her so that she wretched her hand from his, ungracefully dismantling his confession by accidently upturning the bowl he had prepared. She turned away in haste. The dish fell and clattered against the iron vat before spreading its contents onto the floor, sticky and oozing into the hard-packed ground.

"I'll make you another," Tanda offered, his expression neutral as he rotated to scoop more porridge into a hollowed gourd. Ascending speedily, Balsa shook her head,

"I have to go."

"Go?" The tanned individual asked perplexedly, "Go where?"

"I don't know," Balsa admitted, feeling cornered by his minor investigation. Exasperated by her antics, Tanda rolled his eyes good-naturedly and patted the log besides him,

"Please just sit and enjoy dinner with me."

"I'll be back soon…so hurry up and finish without me," She answered coolly before storming off, the quip stinging more than Tanda's pride as he dejectedly watched her frame melt into the adjacent marshland until his beloved was lost from sight.

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><p>Fronds barred her vision as Balsa pushed through the dense rice paddy field and into a shallow clearing molded by reeds. Her rapid departure allowed enough space to breathe and the ability to reflect upon what fleetingly transpired at the fire pit. A particular rhythm could be felt rising below her rose-colored tunic, the fabric parting in order for a clenched hand to steady the disobedient organ.<p>

Sighing in defeat, the palm fell from her beating ribcage. Hand lingering at her side, Balsa unconsciously toyed with the fraying hemline. Serving as an effective distraction, the warrior noticed that a dampness had seeped into the cloth due to the smothering florae she had dashed through in order to evade the overwhelming sensation of Tanda's gentle eyes. Those dark orbs seemed to have encased a certain level of autonomy, the sheen gazing kindly into her own without rebuff.

Ticking her tongue in annoyance, Balsa's fingers gradually peeled grime from the white embroidered detailing of her garb flecked with mud. Although she cared little about appearances, Balsa admitted that her soiled clothing would have to be washed and wrung out before making the trek. Perfect, yet another task to add to the expanding list of required actions that she alone was responsible for.

Suddenly, the image of her companion's bronzed face emerged across the surface of the slack water about her ankles. Shaking her head in frustration, the female bodyguard desired to banish his familiar features away. Yet her brain continued to circulate around the attributes of her loyal friend and ally. Tanda was always by her side, a man willing and able to assist her. Why not inquire if he would mind tending to her garments beneath the flow of the water mill as she finished accomplishing last minute preparations? The thought of asking for his aid abruptly jarred her actions, causing her knuckles to grip tightly to the edge of her woolen shift as a slight flush spread into her cheeks. Gritting her teeth to remedy the awkward feeling of embarrassed confusion, Balsa lifted her head to the night sky, taking a moment to gaze into the heavens in order to release pending tension.

The stars understood, twinkling compassion and serenity down upon the lone soul soaking in their ethereal beauty. Inhaling in relief, Balsa's eyelids slowly opened. As she returned to a semblance of her prior-self, the aged combatant scanned the horizon, appreciating the stillness and the splendor reflected across the mirror-like pattern of terraced paddy fields glimmering beneath a milky solar system.

Now capable of facing her trustworthy partner without being harassed by that gnawing impression, Balsa decided she would return and finish the inviting meal by Tanda's side. However, to her left, a creaking snap sounded. Pivoting, she spun to face the source from where the cracking of stems originated.

"You should have made certain to have slain me." Out from the shadows a figure appeared, his bulky frame lost in the rolling haze of the swampy environment. Eyes adjusting with ease, thin brows alighted in shock upon recognizing the specter haunting the remote everglade.

"Karbo…y-you…but you're dead," Balsa stammered in disbelief as her former rival paced nearer, "I killed you."

"Apparently not. Your pathetic blade only managed to swipe past a faulty defense, momentarily stunning this hyperventilating body which now stands before you unscathed." A low, deep chuckle resounded throughout the bayou, the man pleased by the slight expression of uneasiness flickering across his quarry's features,

"Hah, and you thought that you had killed me with a single stroke! And what's more, you truly regretted the severance of your cherished vow. What was it again? Oh yes, I recall some such noble notion…swearing to never take another life. That shall prove to be yet another hindrance for you see, I intend to snuff your's out by force." Apprehension rooted itself, coiling at the back of her throat as Balsa's hand subconsciously reached for her spear. Yet as luck would have it, in her haste to remove herself from Tanda's declaration, she had abandoned her weapon. Biting her lip, Balsa sucked in aggravation as the disdainful ruffian circled behind her unprotected back,

"For what reason? We settled our dispute along that barren path months ago." Inhaling, Balsa's slackened fists flexed experimentally as the dark-haired man rounded into an arm's length circumference, "Regardless of your intentions, I do not wish to kill you. Be gone."

"Do not dare drive me away!" The intruder snarled, the giant spear falling heavy in his grip as a howl was released, "I stand alive for a single purpose Balsa; urged onwards to finish what you could not complete! My sheer abhorrence of your existence demands a resolution." A white cloak swirled about the assassin whose eyes blazed with a claret pigment which seemed to bore into the female guardian who felt cornered despite the vast landscape sprawling between her and the shelter of camp.

"I shall finish you this night." Karbo proclaimed, roaring as he dashed forward to lock arms with the woman who had expertly anticipated his attack. Forced to engage in hand-to-hand combat against the crazed man wielding a spear similar to her own prized possession, Balsa dodged beneath striking blows and parried his thrusts by rotating her wrists about the shaft. Misdirecting his aim proved to be Balsa's salvation. Again and again her petite frame darted beneath slashing metal, the unapologetic blade desiring to find its purchase in still-beating flesh.

The minor skirmish between these two formidable masters waged far longer than even Karbo expected despite experiencing transient glee at finding his nemesis defenseless. As she launched volleys to counter her opponent's deadly objective, that thin blade ticked haphazardly closer to its target as the warrior's pace began to slow. Although Balsa managed to stun him by cuffing his ears with a quick jab, it was apparent that the foreigner's control was crumbling before the intruder's overwhelming advantage.

As she grappled for leverage, Karbo happened to strike out a foot at his foe's knee. Abruptly dislodged, Balsa was brought down by the surprise attack. Upon crashing into the ground, she twisted her torso in order to elude the crushing weight reigning down from above. This wise tactic provided an opportunity to pummel her adversary in the groin. The unforeseen blow loosened Karbo's grip so that her hand was able to fly into his face. He yelped in pain as two fingers drove into his eye socket.

However her victory was short-lived. Karbo managed to exert his strength and mightier frame by consciously allowing her slight leeway by releasing one hand to pinion the one attempting to blind him. The action spurred her to rise, assuming that the assassin had accidently left his side exposed and vulnerable to attack. Yet this dynamic was precisely his aim. His wicked heart thumped louder with the knowledge that she had taken the bait, letting him angle upwards before launching out a fierce grip on her shoulders. In but a second, he had angled upwards only to come crashing down upon her so that her captured skull would crack harshly into the ground. Her vision, already shrouded by the blanket of night, grew dimmer.

Slumping out of consciousness with her face driven into mud, a faint chanting drew her concentration upwards. Grunting in pain, Balsa tried to flip Karbo off of her. Alarm threaded itself to the forefront of her worries when she pieced together certain phrases from the recitation. Thrashing beneath him, Balsa gasped,

"No! Take my life instead!" Pausing in surprise, a jagged smirk contorted Karbo's features as he leaned into her neck,

"Ah so you are indeed aware of this magic. What a delight. Believe me when I say that what you shall experience will surely be worse than death." The light in his eyes radiated in the gloom, confirming that Karbo desired to destroy her in a way that was most cruel. Tilting her chin up with a single finger, the cloaked assassin intently studied the effects the charm was exacting upon his victim.

"Neither human nor tiger, that's what you shall be," Uttering a command, his tone emitted an air of finality, "Embrace your sordid nature and convulse until all that you cherish is dismantled. Only then, my loathed adversary, shall you awaken into a tumult of chaos and drudgery that only the gods may dispatch." A scowl masked darker thoughts as Karbo released his hold, her chin pliantly falling to the earth. Froth consisting of bile and saliva foamed at the corners of her lips as garnet-stained eyes widened.

Vacantly, Balsa felt her mind slipping from a body paralyzed beneath the omnipresent curse. A Yakue charm was upon her, the ancient incantation gaining possession of her in rapid succession despite flailing against the infectious jinx. Demonic amethyst tendrils transcendently punctured her chest, coiling about her neck before penetrating and consuming opaque corneas. The completed spell transformed the stricken woman into a beast, releasing the tiger raging within her void of consciousness and consumed by feral desire.

While watching her frame writhe until freezing in a state of paralysis, Karbo nodded in approval before pivoting to mount the nearest terrace. Confident of the strange, crimson luster encompassing once clear irises, the deranged man spat before draping white linen over his nose to conceal his identity only to then slink away into the mists from whence he came.

Silence reigned in the abandoned glade save the steady rise and fall of ragged breathing. Minutes pressed on past midnight as a pheasant-tailed jacana waded through rice lilies. Bypassing the comatose figure, the tawny charadrii cooed softly as its narrow bill scavenged for invertebrates floating on the water's surface. Regaining consciousness from the damp slough, Balsa arose from the quagmire sluggishly as though mill stones were strapped to her wrists. Groggily, she took to her feet. Meandering through the thick marsh, Balsa slowly headed back to the encampment with one intent purpose urging the completion of the vindictive charm wracking over her body and overriding all impression of will.


End file.
